Why hello there!
Today I'm going to be talking about using public transport in Japan, and specifically
in Kansai, because that's where I've lived for the past three years.
Although I have traveled all over Japan during my time here, please bear in mind that Kansai
is where most of my knowledge is from, and I haven't necessarily memorised the specific
differences between Kansai and other regions, so please keep that in mind when you're listening
to my advice.
Thank you very much to Nicole for giving me this video idea in the comments of another
video, I really appreciate it, um, and it was a great idea.
So as always, if you have any other suggestions for things that I should talk about or things
that you would like to know about, please leave them in the comments below, I absolutely
love getting suggestions from you guys and I will do my best to make it happen.
So today I'm going to be talking about the two main types of public transport in Japan,
which are trains and buses.
I'm going to split them up into two separate categories, because I feel like they're quite
different, and I thought the best way to format this would be to kind of take you through
a full trip, so the planning process and what apps and websites I use for that, to getting
on public transport and paying for it, and then just getting to your destination and
how to do all of that.
After that I'm going to give you some basic tips and advice on general stuff about public
transport here, and also things that are different from New Zealand public transport that might
also be different for your home country versus Japan.
So, let's get right into it!
Oh, and if you're wondering why I'm sitting over this side today, it is because over here
I'm going to be putting a bunch of footage that I've taken to demonstrate my points to
help you kind of better visualise it.
Like this!
So yeah, throughout the video I hope that helps you guys, and that is why I'm not centred
today.
I'm going to start with the train section, because trains are much more widely used in
Japan than buses.
The train and general public transport system in Japan is absolutely incredible and really
intuitive to use, so a lot of this is going to be quite obvious, but I wanted to make
this video largely because I think there are a few things that aren't intuitive at all,
or that are very different from other countries, and also I just wanted to put your mind at
ease if you're coming to Japan to live or to visit, I thought that it would be nice
to not have to worry about this kind of thing and to know just how easy it is.
So like I said, I'm going to start with trains, and I'm going to start with the trip planning
like I mentioned before.
I've actually already talked about the website that I use to plan train journeys, and that
is Hyperdia.
Uh, Hyperdia is my favourite train planning website, it's amazing.
It is Japan only, so you might not have used it before if you live elsewhere.
Uh, the other one you can use is, of course, Google Maps, and if you're more comfortable
with Google Maps, both are fantastic.
They both have their own strengths - I would say that Hyperdia is generally more accurate,
but Google Maps updates really quickly on any delays that might happen on a train line.
So yeah, you can use one or both, whatever you feel like.
Uh, the only thing that I will say here for a tip is that pay close attention to the train
type, because there are a few trains that cost a lot more than others.
All trains from one station to another station, so for example, from Oji to Osaka will cost
the same amount, unless you use a special type of train.
So the two special types are limited express trains for Kintetsu and JR lines, those cost
a lot more and you have to reserve a seat, so you can't just get on them.
Well, actually you can, but then the conductor will come through and be like "where's your
ticket?", and that's a whole nother story.
Um, so check that it's not a limited express, and the other train type that is more expensive
is of course the Shinkansen or the bullet train.
So when you're on Hyperdia or Google Maps, just make sure that you're checking the train
type and making sure that it's any other type of train apart from those two.
One slightly confusing thing is that the Nankai line has a limited express train that is a
normal train.
So it doesn't cost any more than usual and you don't have to buy a ticket.
But every other train line's limited express is a no go, unless you want to buy an extra
ticket and pay more.
Okay, so that is how to find your way around, um, the other tip that I will give you for
looking up train routes is that you need to make sure that you're checking which station
you're arriving at and which station you're leaving from, because while a station might
have the same name, it might not be the same train line, so you might have to transfer
stations and you'll want to add on some extra time for that.
Here's an example of looking at a train route that has a walking transfer which means that
the station you're arriving at is not the station you'll be departing from.
So make sure that you're taking that into account, and depending on your walking speed
or like your sense of direction, if it's a new route you might wanna give yourself a
little extra time to make that transfer.
Okay, so now you have booked your trip, let's talk about how to get a ticket and pay for
your trip.
So I say get a ticket, there's actually three ways that you can book your ticket or get
on your train.
The first is of course the regular ticket.
Here is how you book a ticket.
Like I mentioned before, from any one station to another station will cost the same, unless
you get a limited express or bullet train, so you check how much your route will cost,
and that will say on Hyperdia or Google Maps, and then you buy a ticket for that amount,
put it into the ticket gate and you're off.
Done.
Easy.
The second way is if you're a tourist coming to Japan for a trip, I really recommend this
way, it's a Japan Rail Pass, and you can use that at any (JR) station and just get unlimited
train trips for a certain amount of time.
I've never used one, but everyone that I know that's come to Japan to visit me has used
a Japan Rail Pass and they are really worth the money, so if you're coming to Japan for
a trip and planning to travel a lot, definitely look into getting one of those.
For these you have to go through a special line with a station attendant and show them
your Japan Rail Pass and they'll let you through and you won't have to pay.
The last way is the way that I recommend for anyone living in Japan or coming to Japan
for an extended period of time, uh, where you don't necessarily want to pay for the
Japan Rail Pass or you're not using the Shinkansen a lot so the Japan Rail Pass won't be worth
it, and that is a travel card.
I actually have mine...this is my ICOCA...oop, THIS is my ICOCA that I've had since I first
arrived in Japan and it has been invaluable, just not having to buy a ticket every time
is so fantastic, you just tag on and tag off at the station where you're getting off.
You can top these up at any station and also on buses, and they're just amazing.
It'll show you how much your trip cost when you tag out of the station, and also how much
money you have left on your card.
Really convenient, highly highly recommend getting a card.
There's a bunch of different types of travel cards.
ICOCA is the Kansai region one.
I'll put a picture here of the different travel cards you can get.
So you could end up with any one of these, just depending on where you get it in Japan.
Uh, ICOCA does seem to be one of the best ones in terms of like usability in different
regions of Japan, I haven't really had any trouble using it anywhere in Japan, so that's
been fantastic.
I know that a lot of the others are quite regional, so just watch out for that, you
might want to do a bit of research on that before getting one.
Okay, so that is how to check your timetables for trains and find your route, and also how
to pay for your train.
Now I've been through the basic process of planning your trip and getting on your train,
I just want to talk about some other things that I feel like it might be useful to know
about Japanese trains before you come to Japan.
First off, there are women only carriages on most trains in Japan.
These will be marked by markings on the ground at the station that you're on, it'll say women
only.
Usually this is only between certain times, so just check that on the markings on the
ground it'll say which times it's a women only carriage.
I've never really had to think about this because I am a woman, so it doesn't really
matter if I get on it or not, but definitely pay close attention if you are not a woman
especially, because you will get some very weird looks and quite a lot of hostility if
you go into the women's only carriage and you're not a woman.
So yeah, that's something that's really useful to know, and of course the footage is right
here of what the women only signs look like at stations.
Next tip is about Shinkansen and limited express trains that I talked about before.
So I mentioned being careful not to get on them, but of course sometimes you'll want
to use these trains.
Limited express trains are much faster, and sometimes they're the only way to get to a
certain station, and the same goes for Shinkansen.
Um, if you're going somewhere really far away a Shinkansen is definitely going to be a better
option than getting on regular trains for like ten hours.
So in terms of booking tickets for these things, every station that has limited express trains
going from it will have a little kiosk where you can buy a limited express ticket using
a button system, and they should also have a ticket counter where you can go and talk
to someone to buy a limited express ticket.
If you don't read Japanese, I suggest going to the counter because the screen will always
be in Japanese only, or at least that's the only ones I've seen.
So yeah, talking to someone might be a better option for you, just tell them where you want
to go, and hopefully they'll figure out that you wanna take a limited express.
For Shinkansen, same thing goes basically.
There'll be two places to get tickets, either from a person like a human being, or from
a machine where you can book.
Now don't be fooled by the initial price that you see, there are actually two costs for
both limited express and Shinkansens, so the first cost will be your ticket cost, like
just the cost to get from one place to the next, and the other cost is to reserve a seat
for you, and you do have to pay both I believe.
I think you can get unreserved seats for both, but you still have to pay for them, which...I
don't really understand, but whatever.
Um, so yeah, there will be two costs, so it's likely to end up being almost double the regular
ticket price, so don't get fooled by that.
I've definitely got fooled by that a couple of times, so just something to bear in mind.
Okay, so that is limited express and Shinkansen.
The next thing is priority seats.
So every train in Japan will have priority seats.
Often they will be marked with the kind of universal disability or um, like pregnancy
or injury like signs.
Like, I can't explain it properly, so I'm gonna put footage here as always.
So watch out for those.
Sometimes though, um, especially in more local trains, they will just be marked by having
the seats be a different colour.
So there won't be any markings or any signs or anything, but if you see that all the seats
are, for example, blue, and then there are like two rows of seats that are red and people
aren't taking them even though there are people standing, that means those are priority seats
and please be aware of that.
So don't use them if you are not disabled or not in need of them, um, and please do
use them if you are in need of them.
Another thing that I think people do know about Japanese public transport is that you
should always have your mobile phone set to silent or manner mode.
It's considered very rude to not have your phone on silent in Japanese trains and buses.
Uh, if you absolutely have to take or make a phone call, you can go into the little space
between two train carriages to do so and that's fine.
But especially around the priority seats, I'm actually not quite sure why - if anyone
knows why it's considered especially rude to have your phone not on silent around priority
seats, please let me know, I'm very interested.
Um, yeah, especially around priority seats, but really anywhere on a Japanese train you
should not have your phone making any noise at all.
And the last thing is that on especially busy train routes or especially busy stations,
where often there are a lot of people on the train and you can't necessarily see the station
name or hear the announcer, stations will play their own little tune so that you know
which station you are at.
For train lines that you use regularly, I really recommend getting to know each station
tune as they can be invaluable when you're coming home like during rush hour or whatever.
So yeah, I think that's about it for train specific stuff, next let's talk about buses.
Next let's talk about buses!
Buses are much less commonly used in Japan than trains, but still well worth knowing
about.
So like I did with trains, we're gonna start with your planning.
It's much much more difficult to plan a trip by bus in Japan.
Uh most of the really important or big bus routes, like between cities, for example Osaka
to Nagoya, or to airports like Kansai Airport, will have timetables online, but most of the
small local buses do not have timetables online, or at least not that I have found yet.
so for these small local buses, I really really recommend taking pictures of timetables that
you're going to be using often.
I have pictures of all of my school bus timetables on my phone and I have done for years, because
it's just so so worth it.
As much as I think I'll remember the times, I never do.
So yeah, it's much harder to plan a bus trip, unless you're using one of the bigger bus
lines, so just bear that in mind that you might just need to go to the bus stop and
see what happens.
Okay, so paying for your trip, just like with the trains, you can pay by travel card or
by cash, however I haven't seen a Japan travel pass that allows for unlimited bus rides.
If one does exist, please let me know in the comments and I will of course link it in the
description below, but I'm pretty sure there isn't one.
Paying with a card is very very easy, you tag on, and if it's a set price trip, like
from one stop to another and that's the only thing that bus does, or a circle line that
is one price for the whole circle, you just tag on and then you don't tag off at the end
because it's just one price so that's fine.
If it is a distance based price then you of course tag on and tag off.
For cash, this is a little more complicated, on buses you need to pay with exact change,
so what you'll do is when you first get on the bus you'll take a ticket from next to
the door, and it will have the stop number that you got on at on the ticket.
Then on a digital display at the front of the bus, just underneath the name of where
the bus is going, it will have the numbers of stops and how much it costs for each one
of those to this point that the bus is currently at, if that makes sense.
Sorry, it's hard to explain in words, I'm sorry.
Um, and then when you go up to pay, you will show the bus driver your ticket, drop your
ticket in a slot, and then drop your exact change into the change slot.
Now, it sounds kind of difficult to have to pay in exact change, but the good news is
that right next to the driver up the front of the bus there will be a change machine,
where you can put in 1000 yen notes, 500,100 or 50 yen coins and get some change out, and
then you can use exact change.
Yay!
So that's a little more complicated than in New Zealand, at least, I'm not sure about
other places really.
Uh, but once you get used to it it's very easy.
The only other thing I think it's important to know about Japanese buses is that you get
on at the back door rather than the front door.
So you get on at the back door and out at the front door, which is the opposite of New
Zealand.
So you'll notice that people will line up at the space where the back door of the bus
will end up lining up with, so just bear that in mind, that's what you have to do, and um
yeah, when you go to the front to pay, that's how you pay, so don't make the mistake of
getting off at the back and getting yelled at potentially.
Okay, I think that's about it for buses in Japan, as I mentioned, they're not necessarily
used as much here as I thought they would be.
I think that's largely because trains are just so amazing and kind of go everywhere
that you would want to go, so buses are a little less normal here, but if you do want
to use them I do recommend it because a lot of them go to some places that trains don't
necessarily go, and while there's kind of a stigma here against buses that they're for
like old people, but I use them all the time and I love them.
So yeah, that's all for buses in Japan.
Okay, so that is about all I have to say about using public transport in Japan.
Honestly, public transport here is an absolute dream.
It's almost always on time, almost always clean, and pretty cheap as well, which is
just fantastic.
I really really recommend using it if you're coming to Japan for a holiday or coming to
live here, it's excellent.
So I really hope this video has been helpful to you, as always, if you have any other questions
or comments, just leave them down there and I'll get back to you if I can.
Um, and apart from that, I hope you have a great day and I'll talk to you next time!
Bye!
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